See You Again
by iCarlyfan312
Summary: He was brave, I had always known that, but I had to admit, I was going to miss that nub. Sam's POV; one year after "iOpen A Restaurant"
1. Prologue

**A/N: Prologue to ****See You Again****. 'Nough said.**

**Summary: **_Stated in first chapter._

**Disclaimer: **iCarly belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon.

***Dedication: TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED FOR OUR COUNTRY! THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SACRIFICES! **

**Prologue**

Sometimes you don't know what you have, until it's not around anymore. Before you know it, you miss the sound of his voice, his laugh, his smile. You only talk to him through letters, pieces of paper.

The truth?

I'm talkin' about myself here. I didn't know that him being gone would do this to me.

Now, after hearing that from Carly, I wish, with all my heart, I would have begged him to stay.

**A/N: Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 1: iTell You

**A/N: So, I don't know why, but the past couple of weeks I've had a wave of inspiration come over me! I don't know, but just a couple of weeks ago, I had a severe case of writers block. So, here's something else from my sea of inspiration! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly. True story.**

**Summary: He was brave, I had always known that, but I had to admit, I was going to miss that nub. (Sam's POV; one year after "iOpen A Restaurant) **

***Dedication: TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED FOR OUR COUNTRY! THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SACRIFICES! **

**Chapter 1: iTell You**

"That's our show! See ya next time!" my ever–so–perky co-host/best friend said into our tech nub's camera.

"Later y'all!" I said with a weird facial expression.

"And...we're clear!" Fredufus said.

We had all decided to go to the Groovy Smoothie after the show.

"Great show tonight," Freddie said, before sipping at his large Blueberry-Banana Blitz smoothie.

"Thanks," Carly said. "Oh, and before I forget, Freddie, can you help me film a video for a science project? I mean, I would film it myself, but I stink at filming and you have a camera," she asked/explained.

"Sorry, Carly, can't." He surprised me there. With his new "little crush" on her, I thought he'd be dying to spend time with her. Well, I guess it's not new, it has been a year after all.

"Why?" I asked. I knew Freddie; why wouldn't he want to spend time with Carly?

"Um...well, since we're going to graduate soon, I guess I should tell you now. I won't be in Seattle for much longer." I was puzzled; did he apply for a college out of state?

"I thought you applied for an in-state school?" Carly said as a question. She had the strangest look on her face.

"I was _going _to, but..." He shrugged. "I changed my mind." Carly and I waited for an elaboration that didn't come.

"What are you going to do then? Go to college out of state?" I asked. He could probably get into any school he wanted. Maybe he got a scholarship. This was Freddie we were talking about. Need I have said more?

"I'm _not _going to college right now." The next thing he heard was the simultaneous "WHAT?" that came from our mouths.

"You've been dreaming about college _forever_! Why aren't you going?" Carly asked, obviously surprised by his decision.

"I _am_ going to go, just not right now," he stated nonchalantly. No big deal, right? Sarcasm intended.

"Then what are you gonna do?" I asked.

"Well, I'd rather not talk about it right now. If you don't mind." With that, I was frustrated. I looked at Carly, then back at Freddie.

"How much do you weigh?" I asked him.

"I don't know," he responded a little defensively, taken aback by the odd and random question.

"More than two hundred pounds?" I queried, trying to get a more specific answer.

"No, why?" I looked at Carly again. "I can take him."

I yanked Freddie out of his chair, picked him up, and threw him over my shoulder.

"SAM, WHAT'RE YOU DOING? PUT ME DOWN!" he yelled. I realized we had an audience.

"Go back to your smoothies. Nothin' to see here," Carly said calmly. She was just as curious as me.

We walked out and I put Freddie down when we were close to the Bushwell Plaza.

"What's wrong with you?" he snapped.

"What do you mean you're not going to college! I know you, what's going on?" I demanded, getting to the point and ignoring his question.

"Okay, let's get inside and I'll tell you." He quickly added, "And I'll _walk _this time if you don't mind, Sam."

We walked into the lobby. Lewbert had fallen asleep with a cheeseburger hanging from his mouth. "Attractive," I said, with my often-used sarcasm.

We took the elevator and ended up on the eighth floor. We all walked into apartment 8C. I sat on the couch and Carly sat next to me. Freddie took up a chair. We waited for the explanation.

"I wanted to tell you, but I-I didn't know how. I realized I wanted to do something, and I want to do it soon." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to serve in the U.S. military."

Both of our mouths dropped. I felt like the air had been taken out of me. _What?_ He was leaving.

"I'll be gone for three years, then I'll be back. I'll take my college courses when I return. That's why I can't help you, Carly. I have to get ready to go." He waited for us to say something, anything.

"I'm proud of you, Freddie," Carly said. She stood up, as did he, and they hugged. "Just promise me you'll be safe. You're like my other brother, you know that. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks, Carly," he said, a little relieved.

"What do you think, Sam?" Carly looked toward her couch.

Little did she know, I had already left the apartment.

She sighed. "Go talk to her, Freddie."

"Why is she so upset?" he wondered aloud. Carly gave him an Are-you-really-that-stupid? look.

Carly whispered, "You gotta learn to read in between the banter, Freddie."

With that, she exited to the kitchen.

Freddie was left to drown in his thoughts.

* * *

Freddie had gone looking for me, but I knew how to avoid him. I'd been hiding on the fire escape. _His _fire escape. I sat in the same chair he sat in on the night of our first kiss.

He was really leaving. He was brave, I had always known that, but I had to admit, I was going to miss that nub. And three years is a long time.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at the window. I saw it was Freddie, and I jumped out of the chair.

"Hey, Sam, what are you doin' here?" Freddie asked curiously.

"Nothing! I dropped my contact!" I said, beginning to look desperately for my nonexistent lens. Freddie kneeled down beside me.

"I think this is the first bad lie you've ever told. You don't even wear contacts," he said and I immediate stopped looking. "Now, tell me the truth, why are you here?"

"I like lookin' at the sky from up here. Don't judge me!" I quickly explained. "Gotta go, bye!"

I started toward that window. "Two bad lies in a row," he pointed out, stopping me dead in my tracks. "What's wrong?"

"Noth-" I started, fake smiling.

"Don't you lie, Puckett." He got me.

"I'm fine," I lied so easily through my teeth. I turned to walk away again.

"If it's any consolation, I'm gonna miss you too." I stopped again and turned around to face him.

"Really?" I questioned.

"More than anyone." My feelings got the best of me; I hugged him and he returned my hug.

"The only one who gets to mess with you is me," I muttered into his shoulder. "Don't you dare come back any different. Be safe, for me."

He was rubbing my back. "You can bet on it, Sam. I'll write to you."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise you, Sammy." I let a tear fall. "I'll be back, I'll come back."

"You'd better." He kissed my cheek gently.

"Bye, Benson, I'll see ya tomorrow." He waved and I left, letting all the tears fall from my eyes.

After I was gone, he said, "I promise I'll come back to you, Sammy."

**A/N: The theme song for this story is "See You Again" By Carrie Underwood. Wonderful and beautiful song and it fits the theme nicely. Thanks for reading and please review. **


	3. Chapter 2: iGraduate

**A/N: Hey, hey! So, it's been a while for this story, hasn't it? I got such amazing feedback from chapter one, so I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed(etc.) it. You guys are so awesome!**

**Disclaimer: All rights go to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon.**

**Chapter 2: iGraduate **

I was going to be graduating within an hour. Carly and I were getting ready in her apartment. I had curled my hair and put on the proper attire, but something was bothering me. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something seemed to be missing.

Was I supposed to bring anything? I tried to think of what I might of forgotten. I was sitting a chair in Carly's room when she walked in, "Sam?" I didn't respond; I was too deep in thought.

"Sam?" She echoed. I shot my head in her direction, a gesture that answered her questioning tone. She looked at me, studying my expression-filled face, "What's going on?"

I wasn't exactly sure myself. I wasn't forgetting anything, so why was I feeling so...well, not excited? I mean, _I _was_ graduating_. Anyone who knows me knows that that's a _big_ deal.

She pushed for an answer to her question, "Sam, I know something's up. What is it?" I looked at my fingers. I wasn't sure what to say. All I knew, was that I was feeling awful on a day that I shouldn't be feeling awful at all.

I decided to finally answer the brunette, "I don't feel the greatest." Well, that wasn't entirely a lie.

Carly remained silent. She pursued her lips and made a face suggesting she knew something I didn't. I looked at her as if silently asking her a question.

"This wouldn't have to do with Freddie leaving," I looked down once she said his name, "would it?" That was it. I knew it as soon as she said it.

"How'd you know?" I answered. Did my best friend know me better than I had known myself?

"I'm your best friend," She explained, "It's my job to know."

I smiled, "It's just, I don't want him to go, but I don't know why," She sat on the couch, listening intently, "Ever since he told us, I have felt uneasy. I don't know what _is_ going on, Carls."

She sincerely looked at me, "You know why."

She acted like we both knew the answer, but I honestly hadn't. She didn't say anything.

Carly was acting like Yoda. It was really ticking me off.

"No, I don't," I stated, "do you?" I questioned. She looked at me and without saying words answered my question. It was as if I had found the answer on her face, "No, it's not that."

Freddie and I broke up, hadn't she remembered that? I didn't exactly tell her _why_, but I didn't want her to know it was because we had heard her talking to Spencer and Jenna.

"You love him!" She yelled, "You always have. You two...you're just too stubborn to admit that you _still_ love each other. Everyone else can see it," She paused, "so, why can't you?" I blinked, processing her words.

"Don't tell anyone," I said, lowering my tone a little bit.

"Aw, Tinman, you do have a heart!" She joked. I smiled and after a moment she added "I won't, I swear."

"No," I suggested, "you gotta _ankle_ swear." We hadn't done that in forever. She smiled and we tried, but ankle-shaking is a whole lot harder to do in our particular attire.

Little did we know, Freddie Benson was right outside the door and had listened to the entire conversation. He quickly rushed downstairs, afraid we'd see him.

* * *

After announcing everyone, Principal Franklin proudly presented the graduating class. We threw our hats it the air as the cheering and the uproar began.

Then, I saw Principal Franklin walk towards me, "You know, Sam, I never thought I'd see you here," He started, "You know, graduating and all."

"I didn't either," I admitted. He look somewhat surprised by that.

"Well, congratulations," he leaned forward and said, "I'm proud of you."

He started to walk away when, I stopped him. He looked at me, confused, "Thank you."

His head tilted slightly and he waited for an explanation. I had _never _said thank you to anyone that wasn't important, but he was, "For what?"

I searched for words to say what I needed to say, "Any other principal would've expelled me; given up on me. You didn't, and that's something that no one usually does."

He smiled proudly, "Your welcome."

With that, he walked away and I went to find Carly and Freddie. I was looking in a sea of red gowns for the pair, but I just couldn't seem to find them.

"Sam!" I heard from behind me. It was Carly's voice. Freddie walked up behind her. I hugged Carly, and Carly hugged Freddie and then I hugged Freddie. It kind of reminded me of that whole Japan fiasco.

Graduating actually felt pretty good, but there was something else coming up that wasn't going to feel so good.

I frowned at the thought, but I forced a smile and we carried on to the Groovy Smoothie to celebrate.

* * *

We got back about an hour later and Carly had left me and Freddie alone in the studio. Talk about awkward.

"I have something for you," he said, breaking the silence.

"What?" I questioned. He had never really gotten me anything "just because". He does that about as often as I say thank you. He only gives gifts to people who matter, like I only say thank you to people who are important to me, so did that mean _I _mattered to _him_?

He pulled out a small ring from his pocket. It was small, but it fit me perfectly. He slid it on the third finger of my right hand. It _was _beautiful, I had to admit, but I couldn't help but wonder, why did he get it?

"Whenever you look at this," he looked at me, deeply, "think of me."

Before I could stop it, a tear fell from my eye. I couldn't help it, I hugged him, "I really will miss you, you know that."

I quickly wiped my tears away. Benson had barely ever seen me cry, and I didn't want to break that trend now.

"I've gotta get home," he started to walk further from me and closer to the door, "I'll see ya."

I felt like part of the conversation was missing, like I was supposed to say something. I looked at the ring, shining in all its glory, and knew what it was.

"Wait," He stopped, his head shooting back, "Thank you."

He grinned to the ground and then walked out, obviously satisfied.

I was alone. The studio was silent and still.

"Thank you," I murmured into the silence as I stared at the ring.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 3: iWill Come Back To You

**A/N: ***READ***There will be flashbacks this story. These are flashbacks that happened within the year following iOpen a Restaurant. I really hope y'all like this one as much as I do.**

**Disclaimer: iCarly is not mine. **

**Chapter 3: iWill Come Back To You**

_"You failed the driver's test?" Carly came into her living room, handing me a bowl of popcorn and sitting next to me on the couch. Freddie was sitting on the other side of Carly. _

_"I didn't fail!" I defended myself, but Carly gave me a look, "I just hit all of the cones." Freddie couldn't help himself; his lip curled up involuntarily. I was so frustrated and embarrassed by that point that I started throwing popcorn kernels at him. Carly laughed a little, and then told me to quit._

_"You need to practice," Carly suggested. I nodded, knowing she was right, "Freddie!" His face shot in Carly's direction._

_"You have your license!" Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Freddie shook his head frantically._

_"No," He said firmly, "I'm not teaching Sam to drive."_

_"Freddie, c'mon," Carly begged. I looked away, knowing his answer was clear._

_"I just got the truck and it's in good shape," He explained and got up, "I want to keep it that way."_

_He got a glance of me. I looked down at my feet, knowing that this wasn't going to happen, especially after everything that had happened between us. _

_"For Sam," Carly whispered to Freddie. He saw my face fall and he sighed._

_He nodded in agreement, "For Sam." _

I sat on the step of the entrance of the Bushwell Plaza. On the street in front of me, sat Freddie's dark green truck. It was really old, but it had four wheels and it worked...that was enough for him.

Benson, Gibby, and Spencer were helping Freddie put his stuff into the back of the truck. Carly came out and sat next to me.

"Are you okay?" Carly asked, seeming genuinely concerned. I twiddled my thumbs and thought about how I'd answer.

The truth was no...I wasn't okay. I had made the mistake falling for a dweeb and the worst part is...it happened twice. Of course I wouldn't tell him, he was about to go away for three years! What kind of friend would I be if I told him to stay and not defend the country?

That was the other thing, our friendship. He had stuck by me through the punches, kicks and continuous torment. I was really going to miss that; no matter what happens, having that ally.

"I'm going to be fine, Carls," _I hope_, I thought. She smiled back, and that's when I knew she was about to say something that would make me want to hurt her.

"You will be," She said, "Promise me something, Sam. When he gets back, tell him because let's face it; you guys were meant to be." My face showed my disgust of her cheesiness. She might be right, but I don't believe in that fate stuff. To make her feel better, I said, "Okay."

Carly got up, and went over to help Spencer and Gibby put the last thing in the truck.

_Pssst! _

I turned a little, but then I heard it again.

_Pssst!_

It was Freddie, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the lobby. He bought me to the elevator and pushed buttons to go to a certain floor. Then, as soon as it started going, he hit the emergency stop button.

"Benson! Are you a crazy person? What are you doing?" At the moment, I noticed he was holding something. It was a present and he handed it to me.

"For you," I took it slowly and opened it. It was a notepad and colored pens. My face turned to confusion, "Write to me."

My eyes almost teared up, "I hate to admit it Freddie," I looked him in the eyes, "But I really am going to miss you."

He pulled me into a hug and said over my shoulder, "I'm going to miss you too, Puckett."

We separated and looked at each other in the eyes. Our lips were only inches apart, and the space between them was growing smaller. As they were about to touch...

"Freddie, where are you?" We heard faintly. The elevator took us back down. We all were out in front of the building. Freddie hugged everybody, and then, he stood in front of me.

"I won't tell anyone," He said in a low tone. I suppose he was referring to our 'almost kiss'. We hugged again and he said one last thing, "I'll come back to you... in one piece."

_"Loosen your push on the gas. Go slower," Freddie told me. We were driving on a gravel road on the outside of Seattle. I did what he said and he gave me a look._

_"What?" he laughed. First, it was the fact I couldn't reach the pedals because my legs were too short, so we had to adjust the seat, and now this?_

_"Not grandma slow!" I gave him a look, "Try again."_

_So, I did, and he clapped, "There you go, Puckett!"_

_"Really?" He nodded as I kept going. _

_"There's a turn up here," He pointed, "be slow."_

_I gently turned the wheel, almost afraid of what would happen, and then Benson clapped again. _

_"See!" I kept going and then I saw a squirrel in the road. We came to an abrupt stop as I slammed down on the breaks, both of us leaning forward a little. _

_"Let's work on the breaks next."_

"Bye, Benson," was all I could think to say. He responded, "Bye, Puckett."

Fredward grazed his thumb over my finger, over the ring he'd given me, and walked to the truck. As I watched him walk away, I had second thoughts on waiting to tell him about how I felt until he got back, "Freddie?"

He turned to look at me. Telling him might have been a disaster, and frankly, we didn't have the time for a melodramatic scene right then, "Stay safe."

Benson got in the truck and started it up. This was it; this was really it. He drove off, honking a few times. I watched until he was out of sight. Everyone else went inside, and I told them I'd be a minute. Now alone, I whispered, "I love you."

He drove in silence and said, "I won't tell anyone either," He said softly, looking at the picture he had of me taped on the dash, "that I love you too."

**A/N: And there it is; the secret's out. Thanks for reading! **

_**Please Review!**_


	5. Chapter 4: iMiss You

**A/N: I've kept you all waiting long enough, please read on.**

**Disclaimer: iCarly is not mine.**

**Chapter 4: iMiss You**

The thunder crackled loudly outside my window. A tree sat next to the house right by my room. One branch would always tap on the glass during storms like this. After the next strike of lightning, and the next roll of thunder, the rain began to pour down onto the Earth.

I was asleep, but I tossed and turned, and as I did, my mind drifted:

_"I can't believe Freddie's coming back today!" An excited Carly exclaimed. I was happy too. It had been three years, and I was finally going to see him. _

_There was a knocking at the door and I went to get it. I opened it slowly to find a pile of dirt with a stone in it:_

_FREDWARD BENSON_

_1994-2017_

_BELOVED SON AND FRIEND_

My body jumped up and I realized I was screaming. It took me a minute to catch my breath. I looked at the alarm clock; it was three in the morning. My body fell back on my bed and my hand rested on my forehead.

I knew at that point that it was a dream, but was that possible? Would I _never_ see him again? Would he be _gone_ before I saw him again?

As hard as I tried to let go of these scary thoughts, I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep for the rest of the night.

He'd only been gone for two weeks, and I was already thinking the worst. I just wished everything was how it used to be; how it was only a few months before then:

_"Why did you have to do that, Sam?!" Freddie yelled at me as we walked up to Gallini's Pie Shop._

_"She can grow another watermelon!" I yelled back at him, facing him. Okay, so maybe I didn't see the little old lady's garden. I didn't hit the lady!_

_"You hit the gate too! And I'm going to have to get all of those stupid watermelon seeds out of my wheels! Why couldn't you have hit the brakes sooner? You know, before we hit the watermelon? Or the gate?" His eyebrows pointed downward and his face was stiff._

_"It's not like you had to do this, Freddie! Nobod-" I started, but he interrupted. _

_"Yeah-" We were face to face, about a foot from each other. This was the first real fight I'd had with him since he started teaching me to drive._

_"The only reason you said yes to this is because Carly asked you to!" Benson stepped back, shocked that I would say that, "It's true, and you know it! If this is how it's gonna be, then I don't want it! I'd rather walk everywhere for the rest of my life!"_

_Without giving him a chance to respond, I turned around and started walking home. He ran up and grabbed my arm, "Sam, I didn't say yes because Carly asked me to. I said yes because you're my friend and I care about you."_

_I rolled my eyes. What a lie that was, "I'm serious, Sam. We might fight, but that doesn't make you any less of a friend. I'm sorry about yelling at you."_

_He was being sincere; I could see it in his eyes, "Okay, fine. I'm sorry about the watermelon. Ugh! I hate it when you do that!"_

_His face relaxed and he smiled as we walked into the pie shop._

Things were less complicated then, but now...I guess that falling has its price and I was paying it. I forced my eyelids shut and tried to drift back to sleep, but in the back of my mind, I was hoping that I'd go to sleep and things would be just the way they were before.

* * *

In the morning, I went to my bathroom and looked in the mirror. My lack of sleep was clear in my eyes.

I got a bowl of Fiber Nuts out of the kitchen and then proceeded to the living room. As I walked in, I noticed mail on the coffee table. I sat the bowl of cereal down gently and picked up the envelopes.

It was mail from that day, my mom must have gotten it. Why had it come so early?

I flipped through them: phone bill, electric bill, water bill, and-

My heart stopped. The last letter that laid in my hand was addressed to me, in familiar handwriting. Looking at the top left corner, I saw there was no return address.

_It couldn't be. It won't be._

The words repeated in my mind as I put my index finger at the top of the letter and slowly opened it. My hands pulled a piece of paper and unfolded it.

It seemed to good to be true. That's why it couldn't be from him; that's why as I held it in my hand, I kept my eyes shut. I took a deep breath, slowly opened my eyes, and began to read:

_Puckett,_

_I wasn't lying, I told you I'd write to you. I bet Carly is trying to keep you extra company since I left and I bet you're hating it. Four more weeks of Boot Camp, then the real stuff begins. It feels weird not seeing Carly, not seeing you every day. I'm not going to lie, Sam, I really miss you...you and Carly both. I miss you so much that I started to thinking about the screwdriver. If you feel like I do, like you miss me-I know you don't, but if you feel like you ever do-think about the last year or the last few years; years of memories. If you do that, it's like I'm still there. Write back to me, I want to hear from you._

_I hate you,_

_Benson_

I read it over three times. He was wrong, I _did_ miss him, more than I thought I would. Sometimes I wished I would've had the guts to tell him how I felt before he left, but I knew what the stakes were. Telling him wouldn't have made it any easier to let him go.

Staring at the letter, I couldn't believe he brought up the screwdriver. It made me laugh thinking he still remembered that:

_"We've looked everywhere, Sam! We're not going to find the keys!" An angry Freddie threw his hands up in the air in defeat. We stood on a quiet street with a lamppost nearby._

_"Well, I gave them back to you! You say I'm bad at driving, well you're bad at keeping track of things!" Freddie swallowed hard. His fists tightened, and his fingernails dug into his palms._

_"Sam, how are we going to get home now?! It's too far a walk and we have no car!" It was late, and he was getting frustrated, but I had an idea._

_"We have no key, but we still have the car. Cars have locks, right?" I told him, waiting for him to catch on._

_"Yeah, and?" I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm._

_"Just follow me," Moments later we were at the car. I had begun phase one of my plan: picking the lock to get in the car. A few seconds later were in. I gestured to the open door, to show Freddie my plan had worked._

_"We still have to get the car started," He reminded me. So then begun phase two: starting the car (also known as getting Freddie to shut up). I tried picking it with the little things I had on me, but it wouldn't go. Then, I dug into my purse (which is more like a bag) and pulled out a screwdriver._

_"What are you doing?! Why do you have a screwdriver in your purse?!" Freddie whispered with widened eyes. Without answering him, I dug the rather thinned-blade into the ignition and turned it. To my satisfaction, the car's engine roared._

_"And with little damaged done to the starter," I pointed out, "Sometimes I think you don't know me at all. Don't thank me, I'll put it on your tab."_

_"How-" He was shocked, which made me even more satisfied with myself._

_"And I can drive a tractor with a crescent wrench," I went back around to the passenger side. He laughed as he sat in the driver seat and shut the door._

Benson was right, remembering things like that did make me feel better, but I realized something else to: I was wrong, he did know me.

I grabbed a piece of paper, and as I was about to write, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

Hearing the panicked voice that responded made everything freeze.

**A/N: Aren't cliffhangers great? Please review, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading :)**


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